lachrymose

American  

[lak-ruh-mohs] / ˈlæk rəˌmoʊs /

adjective

1. suggestive of or tending to cause tears; mournful.

2. given to shedding tears readily; tearful.

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lachrymose British  

/ -ˌməʊz, ˈlækrɪˌməʊs, ˌlækrɪˈmɒsɪtɪ /

adjective

1. given to weeping; tearful

2. mournful; sad

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Other Word Forms

• lachrymosely adverb
• lachrymosity noun

Etymology

Origin of lachrymose

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin lacrimōsus, equivalent to lacrim(a) “tear” ( lachrymal ) + -ōsus -ose ¹

Explanation

A good place to see a display of lachrymose sorrow is at a funeral — people sobbing openly or sniffling quietly into their hankies. To be lachrymose, in other words, is to be tearful. Lachrymose is not a word used much in everyday speech; you wouldn't say, for example, "I feel a bit lachrymose today." No, you'd probably say, "I feel a bit weepy today." Lachrymose is generally confined to use as a written critical term, often meaning much the same as sentimental. Books and plays and films can all be lachrymose, if their intent is to induce shameless sniveling.

Example Sentences

Many of her discs were recorded with modern organ, and a few compound what already seems a Hollywood weirdness with a lachrymose male chorus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

Several days after this lachrymose dinner, a carnival-level event delighted Angelenos of either political persuasion.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2024

Chappell is actually the alter-ego of the much quieter and self-effacing Kayleigh Amstuzt, whose fragile heart is exposed on lachrymose ballads like Kaleidoscope and California.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

Save for a belabored sprinkler drenching the well-manicured lawn that fades into a lightly wooded area, and some wry, lachrymose songs blasting from my car stereo.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2019

“What do all of these lachrymose cliches mean?”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole